[Innovative New Evacuation Concept with Emergency Mattresses]

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Safety
• Emergency Preparedness
• Medical Device Innovation

Background:

• In-hospital patients with limited mobility face significant risks during emergencies like fires.
• Past hospital fires in multi-story buildings have tragically resulted in patient fatalities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an improved evacuation device for immobile hospital patients.
• To enhance patient safety and facilitate rapid rescue during in-hospital emergencies.

Main Methods:

• Development of a novel evacuation mattress combining mattress comfort with evacuation towel functionality.
• Integration of protected and accessible retention/fixation belts via a washable mattress cover and zippers.
• Design enabling single-person operation for patient removal from beds and transport through hallways and stairwells.

Main Results:

• The evacuation mattress allows for safe, single-person patient transport during emergencies.
• The device integrates seamlessly with standard hospital beds, offering enhanced safety features.
• The cost-effectiveness of the evacuation mattress is approximately 80-90€ above standard mattresses.

Conclusions:

• The developed evacuation mattress system significantly facilitates rapid rescue operations.
• Implementation across a hospital group demonstrates a commitment to improving emergency preparedness for vulnerable patients.